Autism Awareness

April is Autism Awareness Month, so I decided to do some reading and brush up on the subject of autism.

In doing so, I came across a surprising blog post about the negative connotation of the puzzle pieces that represent autism in the Autism Society’s ribbon logo, which is now widely used to create awareness of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

The post called my attention for two reasons. First, I had no idea that the puzzle ribbon was so controversial, and second, it was written by an autistic person – so naturally I was interested in reading about her particular point of view. In her blog, Alex says that the puzzle implies that autistic people need to be figured out, fixed, or completed as if parts of them were missing. Continue reading

My brother David who has autism is one of the most caring and sweet people you will ever meet. Many people are surprised at this because they think that having autism means that you don’t show much emotion, or that you keep to yourself. In reality, David loves being around people and he wears his heart on his sleeve, so it’s usually pretty easy to see how he’s feeling (and why). Part of this is because he doesn’t guard his emotions, and you know what? I really admire that.

Openly showing emotion is often seen as a weakness. While it’s true that there are limits, overall I think it’s a strength to have the confidence to let your guard down. You aren’t afraid to have people see you as you really are in that moment. It also means that you can receive the love and support that you need from the people that you love.

“Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid.”

-Albert Einstein

Since the 1970s, April has been recognized as Autism Awareness Month. Autism is a developmental disability that affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others. There is no known single cause for autism and no known cure. “In March 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued their ADDM autism prevalence report. The report concluded that the prevalence of autism had risen to 1 in every 88 births in the United States and almost 1 in 54 boys.” (http://www.autism-society.org/about-autism)There are varying degrees of Autism and many different ways that behaviors can be presented. Continue reading